Leopardwood Box

I just completed this box. It is primarily Leopardwood and has a Maple lining. The leaf on the top is Beech. I finished it with clear gloss polyurethane but the Leopardwood has a fairly uneven laquer uptake so the shine is lost in the spots. I guess the camoflage appearance is why they call it Leopardwood.

These are “Milled Corner Joints”. You can find a good description and a diagram (figure 13) at the following site: http://www.dixieline.com/woodjoint/woodjoints.htm. I find the joint to be a bit fragile to do and frequently have to glue the little square chunk that breaks off the top or bottom during assembly back in. Maybe I’m making the tolerances a bit close….